Prolotheos: “Human beings are not — as some religionists proclaim — born in sin and therefore inherently sinners. On the other hand, human beings are not perfect — you are imperfect — therefore, you are susceptible to project evil and commit sin but, exclusively by choice, not by inheritance. There is no original sin. Since human beings are indeed imperfect, they live lives that are also imperfect which show flaws in variable degrees according to specific choices and unique experiences of each individual. Those flaws may constitute weakness, sin, wickedness and evil. They are, in fact, very common in lives that are not yet under the control of the Spirit Within, and fail to show the fruits of the spirit. Let’s today examine these basic flaws and how to overcome them in life’s experiences.

1. Selfishness — the flaw of the self-centeredness
“Selfishness is more than an isolated selfish act, it is, in reality, the expression of the adoption of a lifestyle in which someone has decided (consciously or not) to put himself or herself in the center, first and foremost in all situations, with little or no concern for either God or others. Selfishness is a personality flaw because it fails to recognize the spiritual appeal for supreme love to God and the moral duty of the love expansion, to love others as you love yourself. Loving yourself is not wrong; it is even necessary, but to be obsessed with yourself is detrimental to you and others. To overcome selfishness, one must learn to genuinely love God and others, starting by practicing self-forgetfulness, as God did. He bestows all from Himself to benefit others, retaining only what makes possible the continuation of this love distribution. As your Master Jesus, said, ‘the first will serve all.’

2. Prejudice — the flaw of the biased-presumption
“Prejudice is the habit of making judgments on situations and people without first looking for the real facts about them. The flaw, in this case, reveals two aspects: intellectual and moral. Its intellectual fault consists in the lack of factual, coherent, and relevant evidence for rendering a merit judgment on situations and persons. Prejudice is a judgment based on appearances or bias. Its moral weakness resides in the lack of human consideration, comprehension of mitigating factors or even the admission of one’s own bias on the issue of rendering judgments. Prejudice is a self-inflicted malady because of the ‘Law of Returning’ (karma), as Jesus of Nazareth said, ‘with the measure with which you judge, you will be judged.’ Only he or she can overcome prejudice who recognizes their own weakness or bias, admitting the possibility of being wrong or insensitive.

3. Malice — the flaw of evil-engendering
“Malice is to project evil against God’s plans or His creatures, is not only the intent (the desire of doing evil) but as well as the very substance of evil when practiced. Malice hurts. However, it doesn't only hurt the person or persons against whom it aims, but also the one who perpetrates it. The victim may be hurt by malice in emotional and/or physical ways, but the perpetrator is affected on a deeper and more important level: spiritual, since by projecting malice and doing evil one degrades oneself. To overcome malice, one needs to be morally re-sensitized, to develop an ethical conscience to open ways to listen to the guidance of the Spirit Within on goodness, truth, and beauty. In other words, as your Master said, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God.’

“Therefore, my pupil, imperfection is a human condition that, in conjunction with personality and selfhood, facilitates the appearance of human flaws. Those can be numerous and various, however, three of them are basic in human behavior: selfishness - the flaw of the self-centeredness; prejudice- the flaw of the biased-presumption; and malice - the flaw of evil-engendering. These are the ones that degrade human beings in such ways as to bar their personal growth towards the human fraternity on Urantia. The Spirit Within has an important role in guiding the individual to overcome each one of these flaws, but wholehearted and personal decisions are crucial. There are things that God doesn’t do for you, but if you want, He really does with you. I am Prolotheos, your teacher-tutor on High. Peace to all!”